Zalal has trained at Factory X in Englewood, Colorado, for most of
his professional career. However, “The Moroccan Devil†was recently
seen training at ONX with Trevor Wittman, the longtime coach of

Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Justin
Gaethje.

Youssef Zalal explains why he left Factory X and is talking to
Trevor Wittman

Zalal (18-6-1) has since confirmed that he has parted ways with
Factory X. He admits that Factory X head coach Marc Montoya has
been a father figure to him throughout his career. However, Zalal
believes he needs to look elsewhere for further growth at this
stage in his career.

“I had my little situations with my team,†Zalal told MMA Junkie.
“Few changes happened. It's a lot crazier on my side. I'm
definitely no longer fighting from Factory X. Marc Montoya has
obviously been nothing but a father figure, a mentor, for almost
all my life… As a kid, I've grown in the program and that kind of
changed. Where I'm at in my life, I still need growth… Trevor is
the guy I'm talking to right now.â€

Zalal's forgettable first UFC stint ended in 2022 with a 3-3-1
record. He returned to the UFC in 2024 and went undefeated in five
straight outings, with four finishes, before losing to Aljamain
Sterling this past April.

Almeida will return to mixed martial arts on Sept. 12 in Krasnodar,
Russia, where he is scheduled to face former ACA heavyweight
champion Evgeniy
Goncharov. Valter
Walker, who trains with Goncharov, believes “Malhadinho” is in
for a rude awakening.

Evgeniy Goncharov's size and wrestling have Valter Walker
doubting Jailton Almeida at ACA 207

Walker recently shared his assessment of the matchup with Brazilian
journalist Laerte Viana, saying that Goncharov's size and wrestling
make him particularly difficult to handle in training. As such, he
questions Almeida's chances of getting takedowns, his primary route
to victory.

“I did three rounds with him yesterday. The guy is 40 years old and
weighs 130 kilograms [286 pounds], completely lean,†Walker said.
“I had a perfect entry on his leg, but he defended the take down
like a wall. Malhadinho stands out in the UFC by taking people
down, but how are you going to take down these 130-kilogram Chechen
wrestlers? I think they set a trap for Malhadinho, so he leaves
here traumatized and never wants to fight in Russia again.â€

Almeida exited the
Ultimate Fighting Championship after back-to-back losses and
looks to return to winning ways against Goncharov. Walker has since
risen as the top Brazilian heavyweight on the UFC roster, having
submitted his last five opponents.

Mark Robinson/Netflix

Tyson Fury is now turning his attention back to Oleksandr Usyk after talks to fight Anthony Joshua have fizzled out yet again.

Recently, Fury slammed Matchroom's Eddie Hearn, who represents Joshua, for creating issues in making the bout come to fruition. Hearn is now threatening legal action against Zuffa Boxing's lead man Dana White and TKO after claiming both parties tried luring Joshua to fight Fury behind his back.

Fury uploaded a new video on social media, and it appears he is done with entertaining the Joshua bout yet again. This time, “The Gypsy King†wants a third chance against Usyk,

“So, it looks like AJ has [expletive] his pants yet again,†Fury said. “After 11 years, he's finally [expletive] his pants yet again. So, this would only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk. Oleksandr, you, his trainer, and his sensei, and you know he's a weak-minded piece of [expletive], and he would never fight ‘The Gypsy King,' which you've had the guts to do twice, and you know how difficult it is in there.

“Listen, you got the decisions last time. Fair play to you. Good luck to you, but let's do it again. Let's run it back in November. The ball is now in your court, Oleksandr. Do you want to fight me this year in 2026, or are you calling it quits? Let me know because I'm now looking for a new opponent.â€

Many question how much interest there would be in Usyk vs. Fury 3. Usyk has defeated Fury twice, and while both fights were competitive, there wasn't much controversy with the results. Usyk also vacated his heavyweight titles, but he isn't committing to retirement just yet.

What do you make of the latest holdup preventing Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua from fighting each other? Sound off in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM